I nearly didn't finish this book skipping big chunks in the second half. It took too long to explain viking vampire angels then the romance was just weird and I didn't care for the heroines flippant attitude. The plot was inconsistent and hokey. Reporter Alex is sent to interview Vikar restoring a house in a town with a lot of vampire hype.( )

I was drawn to this book because of the cover and the interesting blurb, but really it wasn't what I thought it was gonna be. I expected some kick-ass vikings but got silly viking/vampire/angels. You would think that after being alive for over a thousand years the vikings would've learned enough to speak like a modern human so they stood out less or something. It read like a time travel book in a way. I don't know. Just wasn't what I was hoping. I'll read the next one, but only because I already own it. But I definitely won't be hurrying to read it anytime soon. ( )

I am sorry to say but Kiss of Pride did not work for me. It borders on being just ridiculous. The plot and the characters had no depth to them. The whole Vikings/Vampires/Angels is just too much to take.

I really wish I could say something positive about this book but I can’t. I didn’t find it funny or even romantic. It was just a very disappointing read. ( )

Quick & Dirty: An intriguing new twist on vampires and angels. Quirky humor that will have you laughing but really slow pacing hinders the story.

Opening Sentence: Out of the barren glaciers and snow-capped mountains, fjords emerged like shimmering snakes, and a god-like race was created.

The Review:

Viking vampire angels or vangels as they call themselves are a captivating new “species” in Kiss of Pride. The seven sons of Sigurd have royally angered God by their defiance of the seven deadly sins. The Vikings have rejoiced in their evil and vile ways. They don’t care at all for their fellow man. God has decided they should be punished but the archangel Michael intervenes with an idea to create an army that will help fight off the demon vampire army created by Lucifer, called Lucipires. The seven Sigurdsson brothers are cursed as vangels for 700 years. They must redeem themselves by saving the souls of the damned. The brothers are good at saving others but not themselves and they keep getting years added on to their sentence.

Vikar Sigurdsson suffers from the sin of pride, hence the title name. He has been a Viking vampire angel for over one thousand years and he can’t complain too much about his time served except for not having sex in over one hundred years. Sex adds a lot of time on his sentence. Vikar has been tasked by Michael to renovate a hotel/castle in Transylvania, Pennsylvania (yes you read that right) into a place for vangels to stay when they are not on a mission or for gatherings.

Alex Kelly is sent to the vampire tourist trap of Transylvania, Pennsylvania to write an article about Vikar and the castle/hotel. Vikar doesn’t agree to an interview and tries to send her away until he realizes that she has been compromised by evil and must be saved. Alex’s husband and daughter were killed by a Mexican cartel two years before and she wants revenge in her daughter’s death. Vikar decides to take it upon himself to save Alex and basically imprisons her at the hotel. The Mexican cartel also have it out to kill Alex if she travels back home to Washington, D.C so staying at the hotel is really in her best interests.

The hierarchy of the world in Kiss of Pride is well thought-out but confusing at first. There are different levels to the vangel and demon society. Everyone has their own rank and skill within their society. The vangels can also time travel but it is more of an unneeded side note since they are told they are no longer going to travel back in time. They will be working in the present time to help save souls.

I enjoyed Sandra Hill’s hilarious and quirky writing style. Although at times it did make it hard to take the characters seriously. Transylvania, Pennsylvania is a mecca for living like a vampire. This town has hit the jackpot due to the craze of Twilight and True Blood. All the businesses have vampire-like names. Employees and customers alike all dress up like vampires. Comparisons to other vampire fiction are brought up throughout the book.

Kiss of Pride’s character driven plot leaves out quite a bit of the action that would have added to the suspense of the story. When Vikar and a couple of his brothers race off to fight some Lucipires the story just skips over it to when they come back from the fight. Even some seriously dramatic plot points just kind of fizzle out and it never really explains why.

Vikar is a likeable guy even though he likes to hide it behind his rough Viking exterior. I just found it very hard to believe that he would pass up sex with Alex because he didn’t want to extend his sentence. Vikar and Alex do participate in some near-sex that is quite hot.

Read Kiss of Pride just for the Viking Vampire Angels. Now that the world has been established I am really looking forward to the next book in the series, Kiss of Surrender, which I think will follow the story of a Navy Seal vangel.

Notable Scene:

“In any case, methinks you have found your life mate,” Sigurd went on.

“Do vangels get to have life mates?” Vikar asked, when he should have just kicked Sigurd out of the bedchamber.

“I do not know. We should ask Mike when he gets here,” Sigurd replied.

“Have either of you ever considered applying for entrance to the Clueless Hall of Fame?” Alex asked with exaggerated sweetness.

“Aaarrgh! We are not asking Mike about this because it does not matter. She is not my life mate. I am just saving a sinner,” Vikar explained. “Now go, I’ll call when she is ready.”

Sigurd left with a little wave.

When Vikar turned his attention back to Alex, she was no longer squirming under him, but instead shooting icy daggers at him with her cold green eyes. Cold eyes, fiery breath . . . should be a contradiction but somehow fit her outraged demeanor.

Wikipedia in English

Is he really a Viking with a vampire's bite? An angel with the body of a thunder god? A lone wolf with love on his mind? Alexandra Kelly, his prey, thinks Vikar Sigurdsson is either flat-out crazy or he's trying to maneuver her into his bed—which is hardly where a professional reporter should conduct an interview, tempting as that prospect might be.

And some men are too good to be true . . .

Until Vikar does something a teensy bit unexpected, and Alex begins to wonder whether her mystery man could really be everything he says he is: a Viking Vampire Angel on a thousand-year-long mission with his pack of sinful brothers—and a man who's finally found the woman of his dreams. By then, Vikar is already wrapping his chiseled arms around Alex's body . . . and sinking his wicked fangs right into her neck. If this is sin, why does it feel so good?

(retrieved from Amazon Thu, 12 Mar 2015 18:03:58 -0400)

▾Library descriptions

Sandra Hill is a graduate of Penn State and worked for more than ten years as a features writer and education editor for publications in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Writing about serious issues taught her the merits of seeking the lighter side of even the darkest stories. She is the wife of a stockbroker and the mother of four sons.… (more)